Objective:
The goal of this research is to identify the major genes involved in Al tolerance in rice and provide a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms of Al tolerance. Our preliminary work demonstrates that as a species, rice is capable of growing at Al3+ activities that are between 5-15 times higher than that for maize, sorghum, and wheat, leading us to hypothesize that rice may be a source of novel Al tolerance genes.

Approach:
1) Fine scale mapping of a novel and major rice Al tolerance QTL we have recently identified, with the goal of cloning the tolerance gene responsible for this QTL.
2) Whole genome association mapping of rice Al tolerance will be conducted via phenotyping our rice association panel for Al tolerance and genotyping the panel with the 44k rice SNP chip developed in the McCouch lab.
3) Investigate the role of cell wall proteins in rice Al tolerance via studying the effect of Al on rice cell wall properties (extensibility) using rice root cell wall preparations reconstituted with isolated rice wall proteins.